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Garry Allighan | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Gravesend | |
| In office 5 July 1945 – 30 October 1947 | |
| Preceded by | Sir Irving Albery |
| Succeeded by | Richard Acland |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ernest George Alligan 16 February 1895 |
| Died | 17 August 1977(1977-08-17) (aged 82) |
| Party | Labour (until 1947) Independent (from 1947) |
| Occupation | Journalist andauthor |
Ernest George Allighan (16 February 1895 – 17 August 1977) was a Britishjournalist andLabour PartyMember of Parliament (MP).
He was born with the surnameAlligan and added the 'h' because he believed that it would make it seem more Irish (even though 'Alligan' is the original Irish spelling and he himself was of Irish descent).[citation needed]
A former writer for theDaily Mirror, at the1945 general election he was elected toParliament for the constituency ofGravesend inKent.
In 1947, he wrote an article for theWorld's Press News alleging that members of parliament gave information to the newspapers about private parliamentary party meetings, often in return for money, publicity or free drinks. The allegation, which was considered a grave infringement ofparliamentary privilege, was investigated by the Committee of Privileges, who decided there was no evidence to support them. The only exception was the case of Allighan himself and another Labour member, who were found to have sold such information to the LondonEvening Standard.
The other member,Evelyn Walkden, admitted the offence and since he had paid taxes on the money, was permitted to remain as an MP. Allighan was charged with "aggravated contempt and gross breach of privilege" and expelled from theHouse of Commons on 30 October 1947. In the debate, the Leader of the House,Herbert Morrison, proposed six months' suspension but it was argued that this would deprive his constituents of representation for too long a period. It was also observed that after expulsion he was free to seek re-election if he believed he had been treated unfairly and, if returned, could resume his seat. However, he chose not to do this and immediately resigned from theLabour Party. He appears to have been the only MP sinceCharles Bradlaugh in the 19th century, and definitively the only one since 1945, to have been expelled from the Commons by motion of the House other than for a serious criminal offence or bankruptcy.[1]
At the resultingGravesend by-election,Richard Acland held the seat for Labour, with a reduced majority.
After the affair, he moved toSouth Africa, where he became principal of the Premier School of Journalism inJohannesburg. He wrote a number of well-received books on the politics of South Africa andRhodesia. In 1961 he published the controversialFour Bonnets to Golgotha, a book about four members of the Booth family:Catherine,Florence,Evangeline Booth andCatherine Bramwell-Booth.
He died in Johannesburg on 17 August 1977.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forGravesend 1945–1947 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
